Cat Problems - My Cat and Kittens Keep Sleeping On My Worktops

by Sharon
(Kent)

My cat problems are with my cat and kittens who insist on sleeping on my worktops every night. I'm tired of cleaning every item from kettle to toaster every morning!

What can I do to stop this happening? They have a big scratching post with three stories where they can sleep on, and also a bed.


Reply from Liz (Editor): If you can't lock them out of the kitchen at night, the easiest way to stop this is probably to either spray the worktops with something they don't like the smell of, and / or cover them in something they don't like the feel of.

Cat training sprays are available from pet shops. They're relatively cheap, non-toxic and give off a smell that most cats don't like. Alternatively, leaving orange or lemon peel on the worktops should also work - most cats hate citrus smells.

Many cats don't like the feel of aluminium foil. Taping some onto the worktops at night may also discourage them. This is a bit of a pain to do, but it should be a fairly short term meaasure - once they've learned not to go up there, you should be able to remove the foil (or stop putting the spray / orange peel down) and they will have broken the habit.

Best of luck and thank you for your question.